Brandon Miller hit a three to send the game to overtime, and there the Charlotte Hornets were able to outlast the Cavaliers.
The summary
Sion James hit three early 3-pointers to give the Hornets an early lead. The team as a whole hit five threes from the right corner in a beautifully played first quarter. The Hornets assisted on all but one of their made baskets in the opening period and held a modest lead at the end of it. The game bogged down quite a bit in the second quarter with both teams struggling to create good looks. The Hornets added a bit to their lead during that time and led by 10 at intermission.
The Hornets watched the Cavaliers carve into their lead, and at the same time, they watched Brandon Miller leave the game and head to the locker room with an apparent injury. They bounced back to go on another run to restores their lead back to double figures, and Miller quickly returned to the floor to rejoin the game. After three, the Hornets led by nine.
Offense was hard to come by in the fourth quarter for the Hornets. Meanwhile, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell made themselves known for just about the only time all game. Dean Wade gave the Cavs the lead about midway through the quarter, which set up a tense finish. After a lot of back and forth and the Hornets up by one, the Knueppel forced a miss on a tough floater by Garland. Sion James got the rebound, but he was hacked across the arm by Jordan Tyson and lost the ball. The Cavs recovered it and scored to take the lead. After a Brandon Miller miss and a pair of Cavaliers free throws, Charles Lee let the Hornets play it out without a timeout. Miller sent Garland to the floor with a little nudge, which created space for him to hit the game tying three. Mitchell’s potential game winner drew back iron.
Neither team could put the ball through the cylinder in overtime. The teams combined to make just one of their 16 field goal attempts. The Hornets were the team that made the one, and they added a few free throws as well. Miller opened the scoring with a pair of free throws after drawing contact in the lane. Miles added the one field goal with a layup on the next possession. Knueppel poked away a last gasp 3-point attempt by Darius Garland, and the Hornets tacked on a few more points with the free throw game at the end.
The Good
Kon Knueppel led the Hornets in scoring for the second straight game. He scored 29 points on 19 shots. He’s been more aggressive in recent games, and his efficiency hasn’t taken a hit at all. He’s third in the entire NBA in 3-pointers made this season behind only Donovan Mitchell and Stephen Curry. Not bad company. He had a few minutes in the fourth where the jersey came untucked from all the scrapping. Untucked jersey Kon is a pretty good look.
KJ Simpson continues to do the things he needs to do to carve out a long term spot for himself. The shooting still needs to come around, but he does everything else well. I think it’s two straight games now where he’s gotten a steal in the back court that’s led to an easy bucket. He gets his hands on long rebounds, passes, and shot attempts. He’s turning into the Hornets’ version of TJ McConnell. He just needs to find a way to score more efficiently.
Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges played good floor games. Without a true point guard in the starting lineup, the entire group needed to take on some added facilitation burden. Those two each chipped in six assists to help the cause. They also both added double digit rebounds.
The Hornets as a whole moved the ball very well. Sometimes you can tell early on what kind of game it’s going to be. The Hornets assisted on almost all over their first quarter buckets, and they maintained that offensive energy most of the game. They made quick, unselfish decisions with the ball, and the offense always looks better when that’s the case.
On defense, they did a wonderful job containing the Cavs’ guard duo. Sion James and Kon Knueppel guarded the pair when the starters were in, and Josh Green and KJ Simpson helped out. They gave enough resistance along with the help side defense to take away easy looks.
The Bad
Miller and Bridges both struggled inside the arc, shooting a combined 7-of-24.
What’s Next
The Hornets get a few days off. They don’t play again until they host the Hawks on Thursday.